Post about rare plants. The problem of extinction of rare plants. The rarest plant in the world

The main reason for the disappearance of many species of flora on the territory of Russia is human economic activity. Uncontrolled gathering, plowing, forest fires and deterioration are destroying nature. It is not surprising that hundreds of plant species are included in the Red Book. It is worth noting that some are listed due to their small number, they are quite picky and do not grow everywhere. Below is a selection of ten species of rare plants listed in the Red Book of Russia, with a brief description and photo.

Colchicum cheerful

The area of ​​the plant is the Don, Volga and Ciscaucasia. This is a herbaceous perennial plant that grows exclusively in forest glades and. Colchicum is very similar to crocus. Flower color varies from lilac to purple. The flowering period is in autumn. Colchicum belongs to poisonous plants, it is used for medicinal purposes. The main reason for the decline in numbers is the massive collection of bouquets. Bulbs remaining in the ground do not recover well.

Snowdrop broadleaf

The plant is endemic to the central part of the Caucasus and is found in alpine and subalpine meadows. Most of the year, the broad-leaved snowdrop spends in the form of bulbs underground. It is a hardy species that prefers shady areas. The snowdrop wakes up in the fall, and in the spring it grows green mass. The flowering period falls on March - April. Flowers exude a delicate fragrance. The exact number has not yet been established. In some areas, the species is threatened with extinction. Tourists and plant pickers uncontrollably pluck flowers and dig up bulbs. Due to the cut foliage, the quality of flowering in the next year is deteriorating.

lily saranka

The range of this cold-resistant species is Southern Europe and Siberia. Under natural conditions, the lily saranka grows in and on the edges. The height of its stem is 80 cm. The flowers, painted in a purple hue, have dark spots. The lily blooms in mid-summer. Blooming flowers exude a sweetish aroma. Limiting factors include grazing, collection for bouquets and digging up bulbs for transfer to a personal plot.

walnut lotus

A rare species from the lotus family, growing in the rivers of the Amur Region, Primorsky Territory, as well as along the shores of the Caspian and Azov Seas. The rhizomes of this aquatic perennial plant are immersed in silt, and the leaves stick out above the water surface. Flowering occurs in July - August. Pink flowers of the walnut lotus reach 25 cm in diameter. Seeds remain viable for many years. The development of floodplains and severe floods influenced the decline in the population. During the flowering period, the lotus suffers from the hands of those who want to pick a flower. People don't realize that a flower won't stand in a vase, it withers in a few hours. The increase in numbers is observed exclusively in protected areas and countries.

Ginseng

A narrow-range plant that is found in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories. Common ginseng grows in cedar-deciduous forests and on rocky slopes. As a rule, there are single individuals, the plant does not form clusters. In shape, the root of this perennial resembles a human figure. It has a powerful root, a thin stem, and the inflorescence forms an umbrella. The pulp of the fruit is poisonous.

The plant enjoys the glory of a healing agent. It has general tonic properties. In medicine, ginseng roots are used, which contain essential oils, trace elements, vitamins and peptides. The decline in numbers is directly related to the harvesting of roots. Ginseng also suffers from forest fires. To date, the plant is bred artificially. Plantations are located in Primorsky Krai.

sword grass

A relic plant growing in the European part of Russia and the Caucasus. It got its name from the sharp leaves that resemble a sword and have cutting properties. The grass grows along the swampy and muddy banks of the rivers and. The plant grows up to one and a half meters in height. The inflorescence resembles spikelets, and the seeds are carried by water. There are no exact data on the population size. Sword grass is in danger of extinction. Negative factors include the economic development of water bodies, peat extraction and fires. Reservoirs, along the banks of which sword-grass grows, must be given the status of protected areas.

water chestnut

Water chestnut is a herbaceous annual that is found in the Far Eastern rivers. This relic species develops exclusively in warm water. In slow-flowing reservoirs forms dense thickets. Glossy leaves are shaped like birch leaves. White flowers appear in mid-summer. Ripe fruits look like a devil's head. For a long time, water chestnut seeds were mass-collected for culinary and medicinal purposes. Today, the plant suffers due to pollution of water bodies and long dry periods. To restore the population, control over the state of the population is necessary.

Colchis boxwood

A shrub plant common on the slopes of the Greater Caucasus. His are moist forests. An important role in the development of boxwood groves is played by the abundance of heat, moisture and light. The shrub has small green leaves, the bark is covered with green moss, which acts as a heat insulator. During flowering, yellow flowers bloom on the bushes. The value is strong wood, which under its own weight even sinks in water. Felling and export had a negative impact on the number of plants. Only maximum control over the condition of the groves and a complete ban on logging will allow this rare species to be preserved in Russia.

Fine-leaved peony

Perennial plant growing in the European part of the country. Fine-leaved peony can be found in, on the rocky slopes of mountains, edges and clearings. Plant height can reach half a meter. Peony leaves are thin, divided into feathers. Flowering occurs at the beginning of May. The color of flowers varies from purple to blood red. The diameter of one flower is up to 8 cm. Terry specimens are rare.

The plant is winter-hardy and drought-resistant, but does not bloom well in shady areas. Due to the reduction in the area of ​​the steppes, the number of peony has sharply decreased. To date, it can only be found in lands inaccessible for plowing. Another negative factor is grazing, which tramples the above-ground part of the plant. Also, the thin-leaved peony suffers from mass collection and digging of rhizomes. Numerous populations have survived only in the territories of reserves.

Violet incised

On the territory of Russia, the species is found in Khakassia, Siberia and the Far East. The height of the plant does not exceed ten centimeters. The violet has no stems, and the feathery leaves are on short petioles. Flower stalks rise above the leaves. The size of purple flowers is up to 15 mm. In the southern regions, violet blooms in June, and in the northern regions - not earlier than August. The species is distributed on sandy-pebbly shores. The plant does not reproduce well: the seeds do not ripen every year. The reason for the decline in the population are numerous floods, grazing, human economic activity. To preserve the incised violet requires regular collection of seed material and control of the situation in the natural places of its growth.

On our planet there is a huge number of all kinds of plants, seeing which one can only be surprised at how nature could come up with something like this. An incredible number of species and subspecies of plants, many of which amaze with their qualities - from survival and adaptability, to colors and sizes. In this ranking of the most unusual plants, we will show the full scope of natural creativity.

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Romanesco is one of the cultivars of cabbage, belonging to the same varietal group as cauliflower. According to some reports, it is a hybrid of cauliflower and broccoli. This type of cabbage has long been grown in the vicinity of Rome. According to some reports, it was first mentioned in historical documents in Italy in the sixteenth century. The vegetable appeared on international markets in the 90s of the XX century. Compared to cauliflower and broccoli, Romanesco is more delicate in texture and has a milder creamy nutty flavor without a bitter note.

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Euphorbia obesum is a perennial succulent plant in the Euphorbiaceae family that resembles a stone or a green-brown soccer ball in appearance, without spines or leaves, but sometimes forms "branches" or suckers in strange-looking sets of spheres. It can grow up to 20-30 cm in height and up to 9-10 cm in diameter. Euphorbia obese is a bisexual plant, it has male flowers on one plant, and female flowers on the other. For fruit set, cross-pollination is necessary, which is usually performed.

The fruit looks like a slightly triangular three-nut, up to 7 mm in diameter, containing one seed in each nest. When ripe, it explodes and scatters small, round, speckled-gray seeds 2 mm in diameter, the pedicels fall off after seeding. in full sun or partial shade. The plants are very well hidden among the rocks, their colors blending in with the environment so well that sometimes they are hard to spot.

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Tacca is a plant of the Tacca family, growing in a wide variety of environmental conditions and numbering 10 species. They settle in open and heavily shaded areas, in savannas, in thickets of bushes and in rain forests. Young parts of plants, as a rule, are pubescent with tiny hairs that disappear as they grow older. Plant sizes are usually small, from 40 to 100 centimeters, but some species sometimes reach a height of 3 meters. Although takka is becoming more and more widespread as a houseplant, it should be borne in mind that it is not easy to successfully keep takka in rooms due to the special demands of the plant on the conditions of detention. The Tacca family is represented by one genus Tacca, numbering about 10 plant species.

- Takka pinnatifida grows in tropical Asia, Australia, and in the tropics of Africa. Leaves up to 40-60 cm wide, from 70 cm long to 3 meters long. A flower with two bedspreads, large, reaching 20 cm wide, the color covered is light green.

- Tacca Chantrier grows in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. Evergreen tropical herbaceous plant, reaching 90-120 cm in height. The flowers are framed with maroon, almost black, bracts, similar to the wingspan of a bat or butterfly with long, threadlike tendrils.

- Whole-leaved takka grows in India. The leaves are wide, glossy, up to 35 cm wide, up to 70 cm long. A flower with two bedspreads, large, reaching 20 cm wide, the color is white, purple strokes are scattered over the white tone. The flowers are black, purple or dark purple, located under the bedspreads.

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Venus flytrap is a species of carnivorous plants from the monotypic genus Dionea of ​​the Rosyankovye family. It is a small herbaceous plant with a rosette of 4-7 leaves that grow from a short underground stem. Leaves are three to seven centimeters in size, depending on the time of year, long trap leaves usually form after flowering. Feeds on insects and spiders. It grows in a humid temperate climate on the Atlantic coast of the United States. It is a species cultivated in ornamental horticulture. Can be grown as a houseplant. Grows in soils with a lack of nitrogen, such as swamps. Lack of nitrogen is the reason for the appearance of traps: insects serve as a source of nitrogen necessary for protein synthesis. The Venus flytrap belongs to a small group of plants capable of fast movements.

After the prey is trapped and the edges of the sheets close, forming a "stomach" in which the digestion process takes place. Digestion is catalyzed by enzymes that are secreted by glands in the lobes. Digestion takes approximately 10 days, after which only an empty chitinous shell remains of the prey. After that, the trap opens and is ready to capture new prey. During the life of the trap, an average of three insects fall into it.

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The dragon tree is a plant of the genus Dracaena that grows in the tropics and subtropics of Africa and on the islands of Southeast Asia. Grown as an ornamental plant. An old Indian legend tells that a long time ago in the Arabian Sea on the island of Socotra, there lived a bloodthirsty dragon who attacked elephants and drank their blood. But one day, one old and strong elephant fell on the dragon and crushed it. Their blood mixed and wetted the ground around. At this place, trees have grown, called dracaena, which means “female dragon”. The indigenous population of the Canary Islands considered the tree sacred, and its resin was used for medicinal purposes. The resin was found in prehistoric burial caves and was used for embalming at that time.

On its thick branches grow bunches of very sharp leaves. Thick branched trunk up to 20 meters high, diameter at the base up to 4 m, has a secondary growth in thickness. Each branch of branching ends with a dense bunch of densely arranged grayish-green, leathery, linear-xiphoid leaves 45-60 centimeters long and 2-4 centimeters wide in the middle of the plate, somewhat tapering towards the base and pointed towards the apex, with prominent veins. The flowers are large, bisexual, with a corolla-shaped dividing perianth, in bunches of 4-8 pieces. Some trees live up to 7-9 thousand years.

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The genus Gidnora includes 5 species growing in the tropical regions of Africa, Arabia and Madagascar, it is not very common, so just walking in the desert, you will not find it. This plant is more like a mushroom until its unusual flower opens. In fact, the flower is named after the hydnor mushroom, which means mushroom in Greek. Hydnoraceae flowers are rather large, solitary, almost sessile, bisexual, petalless. And what we usually see on the surface of the soil is what we call a flower.

These features of color and structure, as well as the putrid smell of flowers, serve to attract beetles that feed on carrion. Beetles, climbing into the flowers, crawl into them, especially in their lower part, where the reproductive organs are located, contributing to their pollination. Often, female beetles not only find food in flowers, but also lay eggs there.

The inhabitants of Africa - willingly use the fruits of hydnora for food, like some animals. In Madagascar, the hydnora fruit is considered one of the best local fruits. Thus, the peddlers of hydnora seeds are the most and humans. In Madagascar, the flowers and roots of Hydnora are used by locals to treat heart disease.

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Baobab is a species of trees from the genus Adansonia of the Malvaceae family, characteristic of the dry savannahs of tropical Africa. The lifespan of baobabs is controversial - they do not have growth rings, which can be used to reliably calculate age. Radiocarbon dating has shown more than 5,500 years for a tree 4.5 meters in diameter, although baobabs are more conservatively estimated to live for about 1,000 years.

In winter and during the dry period, the tree begins to consume moisture reserves, decreasing in volume, sheds foliage. Baobab blossoms from October to December. Baobab flowers are large - up to 20 cm in diameter, white with five petals and purple stamens, on hanging pedicels. They open in the late afternoon and live only one night, attracting the scent of bats that pollinate them. In the morning, the flowers wither, acquiring an unpleasant putrefactive odor, and fall off.

Next, oblong edible fruits develop, which resemble cucumbers or melons, covered with a thick, hairy peel. Inside the fruits are filled with sour mealy pulp with black seeds. The baobab dies in a peculiar way: it seems to crumble and gradually settle, leaving behind only a pile of fiber. However, baobabs are extremely tenacious. They quickly restore the stripped bark; continue to bloom and bear fruit. A cut down or fallen tree is able to take on new roots.

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Victoria amazonica is a large herbaceous tropical plant of the Water Lily family, the largest water lily in the world and one of the most popular greenhouse plants in the world. Victoria amazonica was named after Queen Victoria of England. Victoria Amazonian is common in the Amazon in Brazil and Bolivia, it is also found in the rivers of Guyana that flow into the Caribbean Sea.

Huge water lily leaves reach 2.5 meters and, with a uniformly distributed load, can withstand weight up to 50 kilograms. The tuberous rhizome is usually deeply recessed into the muddy bottom. The upper surface is green with a waxy layer that repels excess water and also has small holes to remove water. The lower part is purplish red with a mesh of ribs studded with spikes to protect against herbivorous fish, air bubbles accumulate between the ribs to help the leaf float. In one season, each tuber can produce up to 50 leaves, which, growing, cover a large surface of the reservoir, blocking sunlight and thereby limiting the growth of other plants.

Victoria Amazonian flowers are under water and bloom only once a year for 2-3 days. Flowers bloom only at night, and with the onset of dawn they fall under water. During flowering, flowers placed above the water, in the open state, have a diameter of 20-30 centimeters. On the first day, the color of the petals is white, on the second they are pinkish, on the third they turn purple or dark crimson. In the wild, the plant can live up to 5 years.

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Sequoia is a monotypic genus of woody plants of the Cypress family. It grows on the Pacific coast of North America. Individual specimens of sequoia reach a height of more than 110 meters - these are the tallest trees on Earth. The maximum age is more than three and a half thousand years. This tree is better known as the "mahogany", while plants of the related species sequoiadendron are known as "giant sequoias".

Their diameter at the level of the human chest is about 10 meters. The largest tree in the world "General Sherman". Its height is 83.8 meters. In 2002, the volume of wood was 1487 m³. It is believed that he is 2300-2700 years old. The tallest tree in the world is Hyperion, its height is 115 meters.

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Nepenthes is the only genus of plants of the monotypic Nepentaceae family, which includes about 120 species. Most species grow in tropical Asia, especially on the island of Kalimantan. Named after the herb of oblivion from ancient Greek mythology - nepenfa. Species of the genus are mostly shrub or semi-shrub lianas growing in humid habitats. Their long thin herbaceous or slightly lignified stems climb the trunks and large branches of neighboring trees to tens of meters in height, carrying their narrow terminal racemose or paniculate inflorescences to sunlight.

In different types of Nepenthes, jugs differ in size, shape and color. Their length varies from 2.5 to 30 centimeters, and in some species it can reach up to 50 cm. Most often, the jugs are painted in bright colors: red, matte white with a spotted pattern, or light green with spots. The flowers are small and inconspicuous, actinomorphic and petalless, with four imbricate sepals. The fruit is in the form of a leathery box, divided by internal partitions into separate chambers, in each of which seeds with a fleshy endosperm and a straight cylindrical small embryo are attached to the column.

It is curious that large nepenthes, in addition to eating insects, also use the droppings of tupaya animals, which climb onto the plant like on a toilet bowl to feast on sweet nectar. In this way, the plant forms a symbiotic relationship with the animal, using its droppings as fertilizer.

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This fungus, belonging to Agaricus mushrooms, looks like chewed chewing gum, oozing blood and smelling of strawberries. However, you should not eat it, because it is one of the most poisonous mushrooms on earth, and even just licking it can be guaranteed to get serious poisoning. The mushroom gained fame in 1812, and then it was recognized as inedible. The surface of the fruit bodies is white, velvety, with small depressions, becoming beige or brown with age. On the surface of young specimens, drops of a poisonous blood-red liquid protrude through the pores. The word “tooth” in the title is not just that. The fungus has sharp formations along the edges that appear with age.

In addition to its external qualities, this mushroom has good antibacterial properties and contains chemicals that thin the blood. It is possible that soon this mushroom will become a replacement for penicillin. The main feature of this fungus is that it can feed on both soil juices and insects, which are attracted by the red liquid of the fungus. The diameter of the cap of a bloody tooth is 5-10 centimeters, the length of the stem is 2-3 centimeters. The bloody tooth grows in the coniferous forests of Australia, Europe and North America.

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The top three among the most unusual plants in the world is closed by a large tropical plant of the genus Amorphophallus of the aroid family, discovered in 1878 in Sumatra. One of the most famous species of the genus, it has one of the largest inflorescences in the world. The aerial part of this plant is a short and thick stem, at the base there is a single large leaf, above - smaller ones. Leaf length up to 3 meters, and up to 1 meter in diameter. Petiole length 2-5 meters, thickness 10 cm. Matte green, with white transverse stripes. The underground part of the plant is a giant tuber weighing up to 50 kilograms.

The aroma of the flower resembles a mixture of rotten eggs and rotten fish, and in appearance the flower resembles a decomposing piece of meat. It is this smell that attracts pollinating insects to the plant in the wild. Flowering continues for two weeks. Interestingly, the cob is heated up to 40 ° C. The tuber during this time is greatly depleted due to the overexpenditure of nutrients. Therefore, he needs another rest period of up to 4 weeks in order to accumulate strength for leaf development. If there are few nutrients, then the tuber “sleeps” after flowering until next spring. The life expectancy of this plant is 40 years, but during this time it blooms only three or four times.

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Velvichia is amazing - a relic tree - is one species, one genus, one family, one order of the Velvichievs. Velvichia grows in southern Angola and Namibia. The plant is rarely found further than a hundred kilometers from the coast, this roughly corresponds to the limit reached by fogs, which are the main source of moisture for Welwitschia. Its appearance cannot be called grass, bush or tree. The scientific world learned about Velvichia in the 19th century.

From afar, it seems that Velvichia has many long leaves, but in fact there are only two of them, and they grow throughout its plant life, adding 8-15 centimeters per year. In scientific works, a giant was described with a leaf length of more than 6 meters and a width of about 2. And its life expectancy is so long that it is hard to believe. Although Velvichia is considered a tree, it does not have annual rings, as on tree trunks. Scientists have determined the age of the largest Velvichii by radiocarbon dating - it turned out that some specimens are about 2000 years old!

Instead of a social plant life, Velvichia prefers a lonely existence, that is, it does not grow in a group. Velvichia flowers look like small cones, with only one seed in each female cone, and each seed is equipped with wide wings. As for pollination, the opinions of botanists differ here. Some believe that pollination is carried out by insects, while others are more inclined to the action of the wind. Velvichia is protected by the Namibian Conservation Act. The collection of its seeds is prohibited without special permission. The entire territory where Velvichia grows has been turned into a National Park.

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Nature is beautiful in its versatility. A variety of rare plants are hidden in all corners of the vast planet. It is impossible to pluck them as a gift to someone, it will not be possible to buy them in a flower shop, because they are practically never found and are protected by law. It is only in our power to preserve unique species and leave them to live not only as references on the pages of school textbooks and reference books.

We will describe the most unique plant species in the world in this article.

Middlemist red

Originally exported from China in 1854, this flower is the rarest, as only two specimens remain in the world - in Great Britain and New Zealand. He was destroyed in his homeland. The gardener who miraculously took him to Europe did not even suspect what gift he would make to humanity in the future.

The last time a plant of this species bloomed in 2010. In shape, it resembles a bowl with neat rows of pale pink petals inside.

Franklin tree

A beautiful snow-white plant was discovered in 1765 by two botanists from Philadelphia - William and John Bartram. He was named after Benjamin Franklin, a good friend of William's father.

Alatamaha Franklinia (the second name of the species) was listed as rare in the nineteenth century. It was very difficult to breed him because of his rather whimsical nature. Three years ago, this plant bloomed for the first time in two hundred years.

The plant is native to China. It was first discovered in 1907 in Hubei province. Basically, today this species grows in botanical gardens. Rarely it is found in mountainous areas - at an altitude of up to a thousand meters above sea level.

Its unique feature is the color of the petals. During flowering, they are white, and later become intense red.

lady's slipper

The flower got its name due to its shape, which resembles a lady's (Venus) slipper. This is the reason for its popularity, which led to the inclusion of the species in the list of the rarest throughout Europe and the world. The population drops especially during the tourist season, as people pluck the plant in order to bring it home and plant it at home.

An interesting feature of the flower is known to many - thanks to the unearthly appearance, the trap hidden inside is not visible at all. This is what gullible flying insects, usually bees, come across. They sit on a smooth, shiny "shoe", the lip of the plant, and easily roll down. To get out, they need to leave their pollen - only at this price can they climb through a special hole.

Jade flower (Strongylodon macrocyssus)

This creeper-shaped plant immediately attracts attention due to its unusual shape. Another interesting feature is the color. The point is not only in beautiful turquoise and blue shades, but also in the fact that Strongylodon tends to glow at night. Due to this, it is pollinated by bats, which are attracted by the unusual brightness of the petals.

At home, the plant does not take root well, but in the botanical gardens it was possible to grow a few specimens. The main reason for the extinction of this flower is massive deforestation.

Cosmos chocolate

The Mexican flower of velvet color is bred almost artificially. At one time, in his homeland, he was considered almost a weed, and when they realized it, it was already too late - there was only one bush of this species left, from which it was possible to get some seeds for the whole world. This is an amazing plant that really has a chocolate flavor.

In nature, it grows poorly, as it has a rather capricious disposition due to its homeland of Mexico, where it is always warm. In addition, it is very difficult to care for a flower on your own:

• good, frequent watering is necessary, the soil should not be left dry;
• you need to find a semi-dark place, but at the same time make sure that the plant gets enough sunlight;
• when frosts come, it is recommended to transplant chocolate space to a warm place, otherwise the tubers may die.

parrot beak

A bright fiery plant native to the Canary Islands has long been bred only artificially. This is due to pollinators - earlier they were nectary birds, which died out, and it was not possible to replace them with other species due to incompatibility. Since then, the flower has not grown in the wild. The inhabitants of Europe settled him in their greenhouses.

Gibraltar Smolevka

This is a mountain plant. In appearance, it is the simplest of those on this list. Its flowers will not surprise you with their pretentiousness or bright color, the stems will not be the tallest in the world. Nevertheless, climbers still fell in love with the Gibraltar tar, carefully collected the seeds and gave them to specialists. A little later, scientists transferred the plant to the botanical gardens.

From a distance it may seem that these are ordinary thickets of wild flowers. But get closer, and you will see a delicate lilac shade of petals in the shape of an elongated heart.

ghost orchid

A fragile, pale flower balances on a thin stem that is swayed by a stormy wind. The only hope is the tree on which the plant is located. These "ghost flowers" appear unexpectedly, bloom several times, and then disappear again. This feature gave the plant its name.

The birthplace of the flower is Florida, where it was first seen. Being extremely whimsical, plants can be underground for a long time to appear only when it is really warm.

wild lupine

This unusual blue plant is native to the Mediterranean and Africa. Its petals tend upward. The flower is sensitive to climate change, which is why it began to die out after industry began to spread around the world, and people completely forgot about ecology. In addition, the plant is of industrial interest to humans:

• its seeds contain up to 50% protein;
• there is also an oil similar to olive oil;
• the flower is an excellent food for fish and animals.

cokyo

This tree with a thousand fiery flowers can only be found in Hawaii. The fate of this plant is tragic. It was discovered too late, in 1860 - then only three copies remained. The battle for life continued until 1950, when the last kokio disappeared. However, by a lucky chance, one branch was saved and grafted onto other trees. Thus, new types of cocio were formed.

As a result, we managed to save one of the most capricious plants, which now pleases many tourists. Its main difference is the many bright petals, red, orange and yellow.

Green pitchers, motionless frozen over the swampy areas of Australia - this is what this predatory plant looks like, the most unusual and strange of all mixotrophs. It stores a pleasantly smelling liquid at the bottom, thanks to which not only insects, but also mammals get inside! For example, a plant is able to absorb mice, which are so intoxicated by nectar that they lose their minds and fall into the depths.

This discovery was made after people complained about the unpleasant smell emanating from one such jug. As a result, a skeleton of a rat was found inside. Unfortunately, the plant is distributed only in a few parts of the planet, and therefore is rare.

magnolia macrophylla

Delicate snow buds require careful handling, which is why they grow in places where it is very difficult to disturb them - for example, in gorges along rivers. The plant needs moist soil. It is not afraid of frost, despite its thin leaves and the need for protection.

The flower has added to the list of endangered plant species. Plucking large-leaved magnolia is prohibited by law - it is illegal and fraught with punishment.

Kadupul

This most amazing flower cannot even be plucked - it lives only one night. It is this feature of it that makes people from all over the world come to the homeland of the plant, to Sri Lanka, in order to have time to take photos as a keepsake.

There is a legend: at midnight, when the kadupul blooms, the mythical Nagas, demigods with the body of a snake, take this flower to give it to the Buddha later.

Only by joint efforts is it possible to save endangered species and prevent the perishing of those plants, which are now abundant. Remember the sad example: chocolate space was considered a weed, and now they are trying to recreate bit by bit ... It is better to learn from the sad experience of past generations and not repeat the same terrible mistakes.

Every year the world is getting closer to an ecological catastrophe. It is in the power of each of us to push back the most terrible date, becoming a little kinder to others. You should not pick an innocent plant just for a bouquet - better try to increase its population, because then it will be able to please you not for three days, but for a whole year, being alive and beautiful.

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13.04.2016

On our planet there is a huge number of all kinds of plants, seeing which one can only be surprised at how nature could come up with something like this. An incredible number of species and subspecies of plants, many of which amaze with their qualities - from survival and adaptability, to colors and sizes. In this ranking of the most unusual plants, we will show the full scope of natural creativity.

Rafflesia Arnold

Growing in the rain forests of Sumatra and Borneo, rafflesia has the largest flowers.

Rafflesia Arnold blooms with single flowers, which are among the largest on the planet: their diameter is 60-100 cm, and their weight is up to 8 kg.

The species was named after Joseph Arnold (1782-1818), an English physician and naturalist who worked in 1818 in Sumatra on the expedition of Sir Raffles Stamford (1781-1826).

The names "corpse lily" and "lotus flower" are also found.

The flowers of Rafflesia Arnold have a specific aroma (rotting meat) that attracts insects (the main pollinators are wood flies). Bud ripening lasts for several months, while flowering lasts several days.

In connection with the massive deforestation, the places of growth of rafflesia are also significantly reduced.

Amorphophallus titanic

This plant also does not have a good smell. It grows in Indonesia and is nicknamed "cadaverous flower" for its unpleasant smell of rotten meat.

Discovered in 1878 in West Sumatra by the botanist Odoardo Beccari.

The aerial part is a short and thick stem, at the base of which there is a single large leaf, above - smaller ones. The underground part of the plant is a giant tuber weighing up to 50 kg.

The flowering of amorphophallus titanic lasts only two days. The aroma of the flower resembles a mixture of rotten eggs and rotten fish, and in appearance the flower resembles a decomposing piece of meat.

Initially, the titanic amorphophallus grew only in the forests of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, but the people who came there almost exterminated it. Now this rare flower is bred mainly in greenhouse conditions in the botanical gardens of the world.

In the countries of Indochina, plants of the genus Amorphophallus are grown as a cultivated plant. The tubers are used for food.

gidnora africanus

The development of the plant is slow, so seeing a flower on the surface is a rarity.

Victoria Amazonian is most common in the river basin. The Amazon in Brazil and Bolivia is also found in the rivers of Guyana that flow into the Caribbean Sea. Sir William Jackson Hooker suggested that the rivers of the Pacific coast of South America were not suitable for the habitation of the plant because of the too fast current.

This plant is also grown in other parts of the world, including England and the USA (Florida).

It owes its name to Queen Victoria.

This is not just a classic swamp lily. It can reach a diameter of 3 meters on a stem 8 meters long.

The leaf of this plant can withstand a weight of 100 kilograms.

The flowers of this plant are almost the size of a soccer ball, white in the morning, turning pink in the evening. The plant has an interesting defense mechanism, it is all covered with sharp needles, only the roots, flower and upper surface do not have needles.

The largest water lily in the world and one of the most popular greenhouse plants in the world is the national flower of Guyana and is depicted on the coat of arms of this state.

Floating leaves are wide, often round in shape, the petioles are attached almost to the middle of the leaf, the edges of the leaf are often bent upwards. The leaf diameter can exceed 2 m. The underside of the leaf is completely covered with sharp and long spines that protect the leaf from herbivorous fish and other aquatic animals.

The flowers of the plant are placed under water and appear on the surface of the water only once a year during flowering, which lasts only 2-3 days. Victoria amazonica flowers are fragrant, open only one at a time. The flowers bloom in the evening, remain open until the morning of the next day, then submerge under water and open again after noon on the second day of flowering. On the first day of flowering, the flowers open into pale white petals. The next day, they turn a soft pink color, and then a dark crimson or purple color. After that, the flowers of the plant fall under the water and no longer appear.

Velvichia amazing

Velvichia is a two-leaved rosette plant with a thick stem-like stem, most of which is the hypocotyl.

Bushmen tribes call this plant "otji tumbo", which means "big master".

The largest known Velvichia is 1.4 m high and more than 4 m in diameter.

It was discovered by the Austrian scientist Friedrich Velvisch during research in Africa. According to Friedrich, it was the most amazing plant among all that he had met in his life. It grows along the coast of the Namib Desert. This plant has a very long lifespan. It manages to live up to 2 thousand years with little or no water (2-3 cm per year).

After germination, two main leaves grow, which lengthen over the course of life. Their length can reach 4 meters. Usually these leaves break up into sections in the form of stripes over time, so it may seem that there are actually more leaves.

This plant is very rare, mainly because of the collectors who hunt them. You can find them in Angola and Namibia. In Angola, the chance to find it is slightly higher, due to the huge number of mines scattered across the fields.

Velvichia is subject to the Convention on International Trade in Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) dated 01/18/1990.

In addition, Welwitschia is protected under the Namibian Nature Conservation Act, which prohibits the collection of seeds from wild plants of this species without the permission of a special government agency.

Lithops

Lithops are succulents that are accustomed to the dry, hot climate of South Africa.

In ancient Greece, "lithos" meant "stone", and "ops" - similar. Hence the name "like a stone." They are also called "living stones".

A distinctive feature of lithops is the color of their leaves. They are never green - they are brown, gray, cream with dark spots and red streaks. This coloring serves as a camouflage for the plant.

It comes from the sandy and rocky deserts of Namibia, South Africa and Botswana. The aerial part consists of two fused thick leaves separated by a shallow gap, from which a peduncle and new leaves appear.

During the dry season with long daylight hours, the plant is dormant. During the period of precipitation (more often in autumn), active growth occurs. In adult plants, a flower appears, then a fruit that ripens within a few months. In the dry season with a short day (most often winter), the plants are in a state of imaginary dormancy, since inside the old pair of leaves, at its base, where the growth point is located, a new pair is formed and begins to vegetate. New leaves grow under the protection and at the expense of the substances of the old ones and gradually assimilate all these substances completely. All that remains is a paper-like skin, which, after the onset of the rainy season, bursts, releasing new leaves.

During the rainy season (most often spring), a new pair of leaves takes the place of the old one. Active "growth" begins, which is not literally a vegetation. This is only an increase in the volume of leaves, sometimes very significant, occurring due to the storage of water.

Thus, lithops and related plants have a rather unusual and strange development cycle for our understanding. Every year a pair of leaves is replaced by a new one. The gap in the new pair is approximately perpendicular to the gap in the old pair.

A similar cycle arose in the course of evolution as an adaptation to a dry climate. Lithops (just like many other plants) track not only temperature and humidity, but also the length of daylight hours.

Amorphophallus giant

There are more than 150 species of amorphophallus, and the largest and most spectacular of them is called giant. In order to admire the huge amorphophallus, numerous spectators even agree to endure its terrible smell.

Amorphophallus giant is taller than a man. Even in the first cycle of flowering, the gramophone on a spotted stem grows up to one and a half meters, and with each subsequent time the underground tuber is gaining more and more strength, and the flower is getting taller. The record holder is considered to be a giant amorphophallus that bloomed in 2005 in Germany. Its height was - 294 centimeters. Flowering occurs as if suddenly - a pedicel appears from the ground and a flower blooms. No shoots or leaves, amorphophallus will release its only leaf later.

When they bloom, a strange action takes place, accompanied by that same unbearable stench. Because of the smell, it is called a corpse flower, and this smell resembles either rotten meat or spoiled fish. But amorphophallus knowingly acquired such an aroma, dung beetles flock to it to help pollination. During pollination, the flower not only smells, but also heats up, up to about 40 degrees.

Wolfia

This plant is one of the smallest flowering plants on Earth. It is a green or yellow-green elliptical plate floating on the surface of the water, about 1 mm in size (0.4-1.6 mm long and 0.2-1.0 mm wide; no roots). The weight of an individual plant is only 150 micrograms.

38 species of this plant are widely distributed on Earth and usually grow in temperate tropical regions.

This plant is edible. It contains a large amount of protein, almost like soy. In Asia, it is traditionally eaten like a vegetable.

Edelweiss

Definitely one of the most romantic plants!

In fact, we are not talking about a single flower, but a group of several tiny flowers gathered together. Edelweiss is very well protected from the cold, can grow not only on the rocks, but also in the valleys.

Edelweiss are annual or perennial herbaceous plants 12-25 cm high, which grow on high mountains in Central Asia, Europe and Asia Minor.

The scientific Latin name Leontopodium comes from the Greek. λέων (leon) - "lion" and ποδεών (podion) - "paw", since the appearance of the inflorescence of this plant resembles a lion's paw.

New Zealand nettle tree

The Ongaonga, or nettle tree, has a tree-like trunk and unusually large stinging spines (containing histamine and formic acid) and can grow up to 5 meters tall. The slightest touch leads to the formation of a painful burn. The nettle tree killed at least one person, as well as several dogs and horses.

Nepenthes

The largest carnivorous plant capable of digesting the largest prey. Frogs, birds and even rats fall into its traps and are digested with the help of enzymes.

Their long thin herbaceous or slightly lignified stems climb the trunks and large branches of neighboring trees to tens of meters in height, carrying their narrow terminal racemose or paniculate inflorescences to sunlight.

Grows in the tropical forests of Asia, on about. Borneo and Indonesia. In the west, the border of the distribution of the genus reaches the Seychelles and Madagascar, and in the east - New Guinea, Northern Australia and New Caledonia.

The name of the species is taken from ancient Greek mythology - the grass of oblivion was called nepenth in it.

Saguaro

The largest cactus in the world, the saguaro, grows in Mexico and Arizona. It easily reaches a height of 15 meters, and weighs from 6 to 10 tons. There are 3,500 stamens in a saguaro flower, which are so large that small birds sometimes nest there.

It takes a long time for a cactus to grow so huge: saguaros grow extremely slowly. For the first 30 years, they grow no more than a meter. This is followed by a period of relatively rapid growth, when the cactus adds on the order of a millimeter daily. Only by the age of 75, the cactus acquires its exotic appearance of a huge trunk with garlands of lateral processes. Cacti live up to 150 years, which, of course, is a lot for succulents.

In connection with the active felling of wild cacti, especially saguaro, in the US state of Arizona, a law was passed according to which anyone who cuts, cuts or otherwise damages a wild cactus faces a penalty of up to 25 years in prison.

Shooting at Carnegia cacti in the deserts of Arizona happened so often that the Arizona authorities were forced to declare this "sport" a serious crime. Violators face a $100,000 fine and three years in prison.

In 1982, 27-year-old David Grandman and his roommate decided to shoot cacti with a pistol. The first target was hit instantly, then the friends decided to take a swing at a huge century-old plant - a giant cereus, whose height was more than 26 feet (8 meters). After the shot, a large part of the plant broke off, which, falling on Grandman, instantly killed him.

Agave

The modern Latin scientific name of the plant comes from the Greek. Αγαυε - the name of the character of ancient Greek mythology, the daughter of Cadmus, the mother of Pentheus.

The wild variety of agave grows in western Mexico in a dry tropical climate at an altitude of more than 1,500 meters above sea level, preferring red soils with a high content of sand.

Jalisco, one of the northwestern states of Mexico, continues to celebrate the recent UNESCO decision to assign the status of "human heritage" blue agave plantations, concentrated in the central regions of the state.

clitoria

Representatives of the genus Clitoria are evergreen herbaceous perennial vines, sometimes shrubs or small trees.

The fruit is a flat bean a few centimeters long.

Some species of clitoris originate from the tropics and subtropics of America, but the birthplace of most species, including the most famous, the ternary clitoris, is Southeast Asia. Triple clitoria is also grown in many other regions of the world - in Africa, Australia, and America.

In North America, the northern border of the range of the genus reaches the Great Lakes, the northernmost species of clitoria is the Atlantic clitoris.

This plant is very useful. Not only do Thais color rice blue with clitoria extract, it has a variety of uses in medicine.

Clitoria is grown as an ornamental plant, also used in land reclamation. In Asia, clitoria flowers are brewed as a tea.

Breadfruit

The breadfruit, common in Oceania, accumulates starch in its pulp as it ripens, and if such a fruit is baked, it tastes like bread. The weight of such a loaf can reach 12 kilograms and, by the way, these fruits have been replacing bread for local residents for centuries.

This is a rather large, up to 20-26 m tall, and fast growing tree, the appearance of which somewhat resembles an ordinary oak. Some branches of the breadfruit tree are thick, with leafy lateral branches; others are long and thin, with tufts of leaves at the ends. The fruits are formed singly or in clusters at the tops of the branches. Young fruits are green; as they mature, they usually turn first yellow-green, then yellow or yellow-brown. The diameter of the fetus can reach 30 cm, weight - 3-4 kg. In the green stage, the fruits are firm, with starchy, fibrous white flesh. After ripening, the fruit becomes soft, the flesh acquires a cream or yellow color and a sweetish taste. All parts of the tree, including unripe fruits, contain a sticky milky latex sap.

The homeland of the plant is New Guinea, from where the Polynesians brought it to the islands of Oceania.

The English navigator William Dampier was the first to inform Europeans at the end of the 17th century about a tree whose fruits replace bread for the natives. At the end of the 18th century, after a famine in Jamaica, the idea arose to plant breadfruit here as a source of cheap and high-calorie food for slaves on plantations. For this purpose, the famous "Bounty" was sent to the shores of Tahiti, but the seedlings he collected did not reach the West Indies. As a result, the first breadfruit trees were brought to the New World in 1793 by the Providence ship, and they gave rise to plantations of this plant in Jamaica and the island of St. Vincent, and then on other islands of the West Indies. Now the breadfruit tree is common in many tropical countries.

Birch Schmidt

When talking about the strength of wood, many people immediately remember the "iron tree".

The most durable tree grows in the Primorsky Territory, the largest population in the Kedrovaya Pad Reserve. The species is rare, protected, listed in the Red Book. It also grows in China (Jilin, Liaoning), Japan (Honshu) and in the north of the Korean Peninsula.

This wood is unique in its properties - if you make a ship's hull from iron birch, then you don't need to paint it: it is not threatened by corrosion. Wood is not destroyed even by acids. In bending it is not inferior to wrought iron and is 3.5 times stronger than cast iron. The bullet doesn't pierce it. A tree cannot be cut down with an ax, it simply does not leave a trace on the trunk.

Schmidt's birch is a species that resists fires well.

It is the official symbol of Mungyeong, a city in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, South Korea.

Hardy Norway Spruces

An ancient spruce has been discovered high in the mountains of western Sweden.

Do not be fooled by the slenderness and small height of the tree, it was born immediately after the end of the Pleistocene ice age. Thanks to radiocarbon analysis carried out in a laboratory in Florida (USA), it became known that her age is 9550 years! Two more huge spruce trees grow near the tree. Scientists believe that they are from 4.8 thousand to 5.5 thousand years old.

The researchers claim that these three spruces were the first trees to grow after the end of the Ice Age. The warming recorded in the region in recent decades has contributed to the rapid growth of ancient trees, which led to their discovery.

Previously, the title of the oldest tree on the planet belonged to a pine growing in California, whose age scientists estimate at 4.5-5 thousand years.

Wide areas of natural vegetation and soils in Russia are closely related to the country's climatic zones. In the far north, where the summer is cold and the soils are poor in nutrients, mosses, lichens and stunted shrubs predominate. The soil freezes to a great depth and only the surface layer thaws in summer allowing plants to grow. Forests occupy about 45 percent of the territory of Russia, mostly in Siberia. The total area of ​​all forests is about 25 percent of. The forest zone of Russia can be divided into a large northern part - coniferous, or Taiga, and a much smaller southern region - coniferous-broad-leaved forests.

boreal forests

Taiga is located south of the tundra and occupies 40 percent of the European part of the country, and also covers large areas of Siberia and the Russian Far East. In most of this region reigns. Although the taiga zone is predominantly coniferous, in some areas small-leaved trees such as birch, poplar, aspen and willow add variety. In the extreme northwest of the European part of Russia, pine dominates in the taiga, although fir, birch and other trees are often found.

To the east, to the Western slope of the Urals, pine still grows, but fir already predominates, and in some areas there are almost pure birch forests. The West Siberian Plain consists mainly of various types of pine, and birch dominates along the southern edge of the forest. Throughout most of the Central Siberian plateau and mountains of the Far East region, the main forest-forming species is larch. The trees of the taiga zone are usually small and fairly widely scattered. In some areas, where soils are poor in nutrients, there are no trees at all, but only marsh grasses and bushes form a vegetation cover.

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mixed forests

The zone of mixed forests in the central part of the East European Plain from St. Petersburg in the north to the border with Ukraine in the south is characterized by the presence of both coniferous and broad-leaved trees. Evergreen conifers predominate in the north, while deciduous trees are common in the south. Major broadleaf species include oak, beech, maple and hornbeam.

A similar forest cover prevails in the southern part of the Russian Far East, along the valley of the middle Amur river and to the south along the valley of the Ussuri river. The basis of the soil cover of the zone of mixed forests is gray-brown forest soils. They are not as barren as the soils of the Taiga and, if properly cultivated, can be quite productive. In the south, a narrow forest-steppe zone separates the mixed forest from the steppes.

Forest-steppe and steppe

Although at present a significant area of ​​the forest-steppe is plowed up, it has natural meadow vegetation with scattered groves of trees. About 150 km wide on average, this zone extends eastward through the valleys of the middle Volga and the Southern Urals in the southern parts of the West Siberian Plain. Separate areas of the forest-steppe are also found in the southern intermountain basins of Eastern Siberia. A mixture of grasses with a few trees interspersed in sheltered valleys is the natural vegetation of the Russian steppe - a large area that includes the western half of the North Caucasian plain and a belt of land that extends east through the southern Volga valley, the southern Urals and the western regions of Siberia. As in the case of the forest-steppe zone, almost all the steppes of the country are cultivated.

List of plants of Russia

Below is a list of some trees, shrubs, herbs with descriptions and photos that characterize the flora of Russia.

birch fluffy

The downy birch is a species of deciduous tree found throughout northern Europe and northern Asia, growing further north than any other broadleaf tree on the planet. Often confused with a related species, the silver birch, but the downy birch prefers wetter areas, grows well on heavy and poorly drained soils; young trees are also easily confused with dwarf birch.

Common hornbeam

The common hornbeam, also known as the European or Caucasian hornbeam, is a species of deciduous tree native to Western and Central Asia and Eastern and Southern Europe. Prefers a warm climate, and is found only at altitudes up to 600 meters above sea level. It grows in mixed forests with oak, and in some areas with beech.

Pedunculate oak

A tree from the beech family, widespread in the European part of Russia. It is the dominant tree species in the southern regions of the forest and forest-steppe zones. This is a large deciduous tree, reaching 40 meters in height and 4-12 meters in trunk circumference.

Siberian spruce

Siberian spruce is a coniferous tree, a spruce species native to Siberia, growing from the Ural Mountains east to the Magadan region, and from the Arctic forest line to the Altai Mountains in northwestern Mongolia.

white willow

White willow is a species of willow found in Europe, Western and Central Asia. The name comes from the white underside of the leaves. This is a medium to large deciduous tree, growing up to 10-30 meters in height, with a trunk diameter of about 1 meter. The bark is gray-brown, deeply fissured on old trees.

field maple

Native to much of Europe, the British Isles, Southwest Asia (from Turkey to the Caucasus) and North Africa (in the Atlas Mountains), a species of tree from the Sapindaceae family. They are also successfully cultivated outside their natural range in the United States and Western Australia in areas with a suitable climate. In Russia, it is most common in the middle zone of the European part of the country.

This is a deciduous tree, reaching 15-25 meters in height, with a trunk up to 1 meter in diameter and finely fissured, thin bark.

Siberian larch

Siberian larch is a frost-resistant coniferous tree growing in the western part of Russia, from the Finnish border to the east to the Yenisei valley in central Siberia, where it hybridizes with Gmelin larch; the hybrid is known as Czekanowski's Larch.

Siberian larch reaches 20-50 meters in height, with a trunk up to 1 meter in diameter. The crown is conical in young trees, and becomes oval-round as it grows.

Common juniper

The common juniper is a species of coniferous tree with the largest geographic range of any woody plant, with a circumpolar distribution throughout the subarctic belt, from the Arctic south to 30°N in North America, Europe, and Asia. Relic populations can be found in the Atlas Mountains of Africa. On the territory of Russia, occur in the forests and forest-steppes of the European part of the country, as well as in the western and less often eastern regions of Siberia.

Common juniper is a small evergreen tree or shrub of very variable shape and up to 16 meters high.

Alder gray

The gray alder is a species of the alder genus with a wide range in the cold regions of the northern hemisphere.

The trees vary in size from small to medium, with a maximum height of about 15-20 meters, smooth gray bark (even in older specimens), and a lifespan of no more than 60-100 years.

Aspen

Aspen is a species of deciduous tree distributed in temperate and cool regions of Europe and Asia, from Iceland and the British Isles east to Kamchatka, north inside the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia and Russia, southern and central Spain, Turkey, Tien Shan, North Korea and Northern Japan.

It is a tall deciduous tree growing up to 40 meters tall with a trunk diameter of over 1 meter. The bark is pale greenish gray, smooth on young trees with dark gray diamond-shaped lenticels, becoming dark gray and fissured on older trees.

Pine Siberian cedar

Siberian cedar pine is a species of pine that grows in Siberia from 58° east longitude in the Urals to 126° east longitude in the south of the Sakha Republic, as well as from 68° north latitude in the lower Yenisei valley south to 45° north latitude in the central part of Mongolia.

In the north of its range, it grows at low altitudes, usually 100-200 meters, while towards the south, it occurs at an altitude of 1000-2400 meters above sea level. Siberian cedar pine is a slow-growing tree, with a maximum height of 30-40 meters, and a trunk diameter of about 1.5 meters. Life expectancy is 800-850 years.

Siberian fir

Siberian fir is a coniferous evergreen tree growing in the taiga east of the Volga River and south of 67 ° 40 "N in Siberia, through Turkestan, northeastern Xinjiang, Mongolia and Heilongjiang.

Prefers a cold climate, moist soils in the mountains or river basins at altitudes of 1900-2400 meters above sea level. Siberian fir is a very shade tolerant hardy tree that grows down to -50°C. Rarely lives more than 200 years due to susceptibility to tree fungus.

Mountain ash

Mountain ash is a tree or shrub plant from the rose family. The range extends from Madeira and Iceland to Russia and Northern China.

Rowan occurs as a tree or shrub that reaches 5 to 15 meters in height. The crown is round or irregular in shape, and the trunk is thin and cylindrical, up to 40 cm in diameter.

Barberry common

This deciduous shrub can reach up to 4 meters in height. The leaves are small oval, 2-5 cm long and 1-2 cm wide, with a serrated margin; they grow in bunches of 2 to 5 leaves. The flowers are yellow, 4-6 mm in diameter, bloom on the length of the brush in late spring. Oblong red berries 7-10 mm long and 3-5 mm wide ripen in late summer or autumn; they are edible, but very acidic and rich in vitamin C.

Ledum marsh

Low shrub about 50 cm (rarely up to 120 cm) tall with evergreen leaves 12-50 mm long and 2-12 mm wide. The flowers are small, with a five-lobed white corolla, and emit a strong scent to attract bees and other pollinating insects. It has a wide geographical range in Russia, which covers the tundra, forest zone, Siberia and the Far East.

Common lilac

Common lilac is a flowering shrub plant from the Olive family, originally from the Balkan Peninsula, where it grows wild on rocky hills. The species is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant and has been naturalized in other parts of Europe (including Russia, Britain, France, Germany and Italy) as well as much of North America.

It is a large deciduous shrub or small multi-stemmed tree, growing to 6-7 meters, producing secondary shoots from the base or root system, which can grow to a small colonial thicket over decades. The bark is gray or grey-brown, smooth on young stems and longitudinally furrowed on older stems. The leaves are simple, 4-12 cm long and 3-8 cm wide, light green to bluish in color, oval to heart-shaped, with pinnate venation and pointed apex. The flowers tend to range from lilac to mauve, sometimes white. The fruit is a dry, smooth, brown capsule, 1-2 cm long, split in two to release the seeds.

Viburnum ordinary

Viburnum vulgaris is a deciduous shrub plant reaching 4-5 meters in height. The leaves are opposite, three-lobed, 5-10 cm long and wide, with a rounded base and coarsely serrated edges; outwardly similar to the leaves of some maple species, but differ in a slightly wrinkled surface. It blooms in early summer and is pollinated by insects. Spherical bright red fruits (7-10 mm in diameter) contain one seed. The seeds are dispersed by birds and other animals.

poppy polar

One of the northernmost plants in the world. The stem is stiff, hardy and covered with black hairs, flowers with delicate yellow or white petals. Flowers constantly turn towards the sun, repeating its movement across the sky, and attracting insects. Arctic poppy grows in meadows, mountains and dry riverbeds. They thrive among rocks that absorb the heat of the sun and provide shelter for the root system.

Stinging nettle

Nettle is an easily recognizable, unfortunately often easily felt plant, whose stems and leaves are covered with burning hairs. This is an effective way to avoid the fate of being eaten, and also makes nettles an important hiding place for caterpillars and many other insects. In addition to stinging nettle, stinging nettle is widespread in Russia.

Violet tricolor

Violet tricolor, also known as pansies, is an annual, sometimes perennial plant native to Europe and temperate Asia. It has also been introduced to North America, where it has spread widely. It is the progenitor of the cultivated violet and is therefore sometimes referred to as the wild violet.

Fritillary chess

The checkered hazel grouse is a perennial herbaceous plant that has a rather unusual appearance, as for wildflowers. Prefers damp, low-lying meadows and pastures in Europe and Western Asia. It thrives in soils that have never been intensively farmed and is now increasingly rare.

Sedge

Sedge is a genus of perennial herbaceous plants, numbering about 2 thousand species. In Russia, there are 300 to 400 species that grow in various climatic conditions, landscapes and habitats throughout the country.